Newsletter: The big power boy´s Arctic puddle
The Arctic mantra is peace and prosperity. But the big power boys has new, shiny toys to play with in the Arctic puddle.
Dear High North News reader! Every time someone mentions arming in the Arctic, the answer is the same: there is not – nor will there ever be – war in the Arctic. A picture is painted of peace and reconciliation, cooperation and good will. However, behind the curtains the big power boys play with their new expensive toys in their own Arctic puddle. And yes, size does matter.
Russia has it, China is building it and the USA also wants some. What? Nuclear iceberakers, preferably equipped with weapons. High North News has recently covered the Arctic game. There are whispers of a new cold war and big power rhetorics are anything but conciliatory.
However, if we ask, the answer is always that peace in the Arctic is stable and permanent. The fact that the USA constructs a fleet of nuclear-fueled icebreakers is not that strange.
US President Donald Trump and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star breaking through ice. (Source: U.S. Coast Guard/ Chief Petty Officer Nick Ameen)
Russia has them already, and China is getting started on theirs. There is nevertheless a discussion about the need to arm the icebreakers. Many see this in conjunction with the USA re-opening its consulate in Greenland after 67 years (Norwegian only).
Even to an experienced journalist like High North News Editor-in-Chief Arne O. Holm monitoring the rearming of the Arctic is a demanding exercise. In particular since predictability went down the drain following Donald Trump’s assuming power as President of the USA.
The perpetual Arctic stability suddenly appears to be trembling.
Optimism despite crises
The economy is booming in the High North. Russian energy giant Novatek has ordered the world’s largest barges for storing and transport of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Øystein Rushfeldt er administrerende direktør i Nussir ASA. Selskapet fikk driftskonsesjon i 2019 av Nærings- og fiskeridepartementet for gruvedrift i Nussir og Gumppenjunni i Repparfjord. Foto: Linda Storholm
Nussir mining company hopes to commence extraction in Finnmark, Norway during 2020 and in Svalbard, tourist operators are optimistic despite the fact that third-country inhabitants who have been laid off have to return home.
“There are no restrictions on returning to Svalbard when business picks up again”, says Senior Communications Advisor of the Norwegian Ministry of Justice Andreas Skjøld-Lorange.
Money, no people
Despite hope; if there are no people, there will not be an economy. Most people do not want to live in the Arctic, and most certainly not the young ones. Until now, no one has had the answer.
However, for young people who live in the High North there is no lack of creativity. If anything good has come from the pandemic, it has to be society’s ability to adapt, which was well demonstrated in NORA’s corona competition.
And the winner is: Rachael Bews with husband Samuel Warnock (not pictured)! The couple wont the winner of the Atlantic corona challenge with their shopping app developed for small rural retail businesses to continue operating during the pandemic. Photo: Sarah Morgan McDowell.
And a piece of historic news towards the end: High North News recently won an award for a story about public protests against a disputed giant waste landfill in northwestern Russia. This week brought the news that local authorities have changed their minds and the construction contract is cancelled.
This is simply a victory for ordinary Russians! And do not forget to read last year’s long read story.
With that, we thank you for an interesting and educative week. Thank you for input, comments, shares and engagement in general.
Please do follow us on social media and let us know what goes on in your Arctic!
Best regards,
Trine Jonassen
News Editor, High North News